In electrical circuits in homes and business buildings, circuit breakers or fuses at electrical panels from which the electrical circuits emanate are provided in order to disrupt electrical power when the electrical circuits are subjected to a short circuit or are overloaded. This will prevent the electrical circuits from overheating thereby preventing the possibility of starting a fire if the overheating continued. The shortcoming of this system is that intermittent circuit elements in series with an appliance electrically connected to an electrical receptacle in an electrical circuit, will increase intense local heating even though the increase in current caused by the heating will not blow a fuse or trip the circuit breaker. The increased heating may cause a fire especially in older homes in which the wood of the structural framework is very dry.
It therefore becomes extremely important to disrupt the electrical circuit at the electrical receptacle or other electrical receptacles controlled by the electrical receptacle to which they are electrically connected when an increase in temperature at the electrical receptacle takes place but does not draw sufficient current to blow the fuse or trip the circuit breaker of the electrical circuit in which the electrical receptacle is connected.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,134 discloses an electrical connector receptacle that includes a bimetallic thermostat connected between one of the electrical contacts that connects to an electrical receptacle and in series with the electrical contacts of each electrical outlet portion of the electrical connector receptacle so that when the temperature reaches a selected low temperature, e.g., 20.degree. F., the bimetallic thermostat will be activated thereby operating a heating element. This constitutes a power actuation member and not a power interruption member due to increased temperature.